Waiting
by Pocus
Summary: Atlantis had been waiting a long time. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. Would it be worth it?
1. Chapter 1

Chapters: 1/2  
Rating K  
Pairing: None  
Beta: All on my own with this one. All mistakes are mine to keep.  
Disclaimers: Atlantis and its marvelous characters are not mine. But they help me at times

A/N I guess this one came out of having a long lasting cold that left me feeling drained. I could empathize with Atlantis about lack of energy and having too much to do.

She was tired, so very tired. It had been a long time since she had the strength needed to do all of the things that were expected of her. So many tasks to be completed. It had been necessary to let some of the less important tasks fall to the wayside. She had one, all important main task that she could never stop. If she did, then all would be lost.

All she wanted to do was sleep. She needed to rest and rebuild her strength if she was going to be able to continue her work. Was it too much to ask to be allowed to sink into a peaceful slumber for a short time? Was it too much to ask to able to take a much needed rest?

The answer is "Yes, it is too much to ask!"

If she did not do her job, who would? No one else could. She alone was the one who was appointed to this job. There was no one else who had the capabilities to do what needed to be done.

Loneliness was a feeling she had grown accustomed to. There had been a time when she had wished for a minute of solitude to collect her self and prepare for the next job. That was a luxury she thought she would never have. Now, she had all the solitude that she could ever wish for and she was tired of it. It was hard to be motivated to do things when she knew there would be no one around to appreciate them. No one to interact with. And there was no end in sight.

Sometimes she would take time to remember what life had been like. Life had been full, busy, exciting, and always changing. She had always been doing something. She had many tasks to perform, most trivial, but some were extremely important. They were life maintaining. It seemed as if someone had always needed her help. There were the groundbreaking projects that could not be completed without her assistance as well as the small, inconsequential details of everyday life that she dealt with on a daily basis.

At times she wondered if she was so tired now because of what she was expected to do or because she had to do it alone. She could not remember ever being so tired before. In fact, she was usually the opposite. She had been exhilarated by all the demands placed on her. The busier she was, the better she performed. She was the one everyone needed and she needed that.

Now she was alone. No one to work with. No one to interact with. No one to look after. Why should she continue to do her work? Who would know or care if she just stopped doing her job?

The answer is; She would know!

Yes, she would know, and so would one other. It was partially because of this "other" that she had not given up long ago. This one brought a touch of hope that her perseverance was going to be worth the effort. This "one" who was technically in her care, but for whom she did nothing more then watch over while she rested. This one who, in regular intervals, gave her a much needed energy boost she needed to carry on. This lone soul was unaware of any presence other than her own. She goes about her one and only task quickly and efficiently then returns to rest. The two of them were working together to fulfill a dream, a vision.

This vision belonged to others and she had been the one left to see it through to its fruition. She took this duty to heart. Her hopes and dreams were secondary to the task she had been charged with. She would carry on with her task until the goal was reached or it was no longer possible for her to go on.

She feared she was reaching the point that the second option was more probable. She was tired and weak. She almost could not remember what it felt like to be full of energy and ready to face any challenge. She needed to conserve her energy and become more focused on how and where she could expend power. At times, she had needed to sacrifice parts of herself to be able to continue with her duty. She was running out of options.


	2. Chapter 2

Time had a way of seeming to stand still. Nothing changed or even deviated a little from the expected. There were no alterations of the routine. Life had become an endless repetition of years, months, days, hours, and minutes. She could count the passage of time by seconds if she needed or wanted to, but why mark time when the ending was not specified?

So she waited. Waited for what, she did not know. How would she know that her job was done? Would there be a sign, a marker, to let her know she could rest?

She had been left for a reason. It is easier to just leave a thing behind without making future plans for it. Preparing for an unknown future is a difficult thing. She was part of that preparation. It was up to her to fulfill her role in that hopeful dream the others had. If she failed, their vision would fail.

She would not let that happen.

00

Time was running out. Her task was becoming harder to maintain. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on. She was so very tired, but she still believed in the dream that she had worked so long to maintain.

00

She felt the change immediately. Something was different. It was a feeling that she had not felt in ages. It was a slow building of power in her very center and it felt wonderful. Was this what she had been waiting for? Was her time alone nearing an end? Oh, she hoped so.

There was an unknown energy source emanating from within. She waited to see what would happen. If it was a danger, could she eliminate it in her weakened state? She did not know the answer. The power she was used to, and had missed so much, was still on so maybe the mystery would be explained soon. It was draining her weakened resources, but if it meant the end of her task, she could be patient for a while longer.

Next, she felt life forces. They were very similar to those who had been here before, but something was missing. She felt no connection to them. There was no reaction to them except knowing they had arrived. They were strangers to her. She would need to wait some more.

Then she felt "him". There was the connection she was looking for, the permission she needed to bring things back to life. She started to do just that. She tracked his movements and tried to accommodate his needs. She had waited for ages to interact with her people again and now that she had the chance, she was going to do her best.

There were more life forces coming in. She felt a connection to a few of them. None of them were as strong as the first connection, so she focused on this while maintaining a link to the others.

They were fanning out and spreading her resources thin. It was draining her energy faster than she had thought possible. She must be lower on energy than she had let herself realize. She would have to let go of a few more areas so that she could protect the life forces that were now within her care.

She felt the beginnings of a power buildup. The familiar swoosh of a connection sent a wave of pure pleasure through her core. She only wished that it did not use so much of her limited energy. She missed feeling the thrill of that power surge.

She was still tracking the strongest connection and realized that he was leaving. She hoped he would return soon. She did a quick check of the destination and was relieved to find that all connections there had been positive.

Now it was time to turn her attention to the remaining life forces. She could feel a few connections, but they were fuzzy and intermittent. There were many more that she could not connect to, but she did not need to make contact with all of them. They could communicate with her through other means. She did her best to accommodate their needs as she discovered them. She felt more unfamiliar power sources and was curious about these, but now was not the time to focus on those. She needed to assess her own power levels.

She was astonished to realize that her power was almost completely gone. How did it drain that fast? What options did she have left? Where could she cut power? Would the new power sources help or hurt her? She checked on the "one" that had been with her during her isolation. Her power levels were so low that she knew she would not be able to revive her for any assistance.

She only had one option left. She started to prepare herself for the final push of energy that would be needed to complete her task. As she was doing this, she felt the power surge of the connection. She felt "him" return and with him were many more unfamiliar life forces.

It was time. If she waited any longer she would not have the energy to finish her job and all would be lost. She launched herself from her place of rest. She had been in this isolated spot for thousands of years. It had become comfortable, but it was past time to leave.

She was satisfied that she had done her job well. She had completed her task to maintain a livable atmosphere so that the city could be inhabited again. She only regretted the fact that she would not be able to interact with the new beings that were going to live within her walls. Almost as soon as she could get them to safety, she would be out of energy.

As her beautiful spires broke the water's surface, her sensors felt the difference in atmosphere. The change was amazing. She was exhilarated! Her energy may have been depleted, but she felt stronger than she ever had before.

As she settled on the surface of the water, she set her stabilizers to keep the city level and safe. She took one last scan of her new inhabitants. She found the one she was looking for. His name was John Sheppard. He would be the city's protector now. She could now take her long awaited rest and know that it was her turn to be cared for.

Hopefully, in time, the new inhabitants would figure out how to rejuvenate her. Hopefully they would find the "one" that had lived through the long isolation with her. She knew that it would not be long before her partner would rest forever.

It was time! Atlantis could finally rest.


End file.
